Kawaikui Beach Park

Went with family and friends to this beach to do stand up paddling. The water is calm and if you go further out you can catch waves on your board. Recommended only for people who are experienced at paddling boarding — it was the first time my husband and his friend had ever been and they fell off their boards and got cut up on the reef. The water is pretty shallow and there is reef everywhere. My uncle has gone to this beach often and seen many fish and sea turtles in the water — it is very beautiful to be able to paddle out with a sea turtle.
The parking lot for the beach park is very small so you may not be able to find parking depending on the time of day. The pavilion area and picnic tables are frequented by Micronesian families or homeless folks, but they keep to themselves and you should not feel bothered by their presence. We also met someone there who had gone spear fishing and caught many fish and an octopus.

Not one of the most popular beaches along Kalanianaole Highway, but I’ve passed by it numerous times. So back in April 2013, decided to finally check out Kawaikui Beach and it’s not too shabby. Just one small parking lot and open space with many trees leading out to a smaller shore and beach area.

Through the many years of living here on Oahu I have passed this beach park many times but never stopped to check it out. Today was the day to beach and park hop all over Oahu.
It has a small parking lot just for the beach park and is not grand by any definition. There are beautiful, full grown trees on the park which make for a really nice picnic on any given day. There is a restroom and a shower within the park (it really is a small and quaint park), as well as picnic tables and benches.
The actual beach itself isn’t quite a sandy beach like most people think. There’s no place to actually lay on the sand and sunbathe. The debris that washes up on the shore is actually quite scary and dirty. The water itself was a bit murky and suspect but then again, Oahu has had a rainy spell in the last couple of days. That alone probably accounts for the murkiness, however the trash and gunk that has washed up on shore is disappointing.
I’m sure this park has seen better days as it is in such a perfect location for family picnics on the grass. But even walking around in the park I can see litter all over (as well as drug baggies). This probably is the perfect haven for all sorts of bad behavior as the park and beach areas are concealed from the main road. This is probably not the best place to be when it gets dark if you’re by yourself.
As we were leaving I noticed that there is a shower located right by the bathroom. It was pretty gross since the runoff from the shower «boats» into a moat around the shower that smelled pretty rank. It came from the brownish-​green standing water, with sudsy sludge. It doesn’t appear that the moat doesn’t drain anywhere. Oh boy!

This place is real mellow and pleasant for the most part but there are three things that threaten the environment here.
1. A major feral cat infestation which is being supported by an elderly woman and her unemployed son who feed the felines gallons of cat food near the end of the parking lot. I have complained to city councilman stanely chang about this problem and nothing is being done about it, I have stepped in feline feces more times than I can count.
2. No one has a problem with Micronesians who clean up after themselves but this isn’t always the case at this park. Everyone who comes here should have enough sense to clean up their garbage, soap, and other items left behind for the aina haina residents to clean up. This is a major problem in Hawaii but this was never a problem at kawaikui beach park until the last 5 years.
3. Bums under the pavillion
Otherwise, this beach park is a real gem!

A small park that attracts surfers living in Hawaii Kai. Good for picnics, but limited seating. Sunset can be quite beautiful here.

Lots of surfers but short on parking. There are people that bbq on the weekend, but be careful about leaving your car there for more than a day.